Precision Pickups spaced wrong?

Well I'm building a precision style bass, and something has been nagging me. I can't help but feel that I made the pickups to close together. The space were the pickups touch is about 1in across, but looking at photos of other basses, I think I may have made it to far apart. I know the strings should lay between two poles, but the pickups I have have the poles covered, so i can't tell.

Did I mess up beyond repair? Or will the bass still be usable? Should I be worrying about it?

I attach a picture of the cavity for my pickups, a picture of normal P-bass pups, and the pickups I'm using.

Sure looks like you have the coils intersecting at the midpoint...that's not right. It may or may not work, depending on the "sensing window" and whether these are "rail" polepieces.

But yeah, the rout is too narrow as is. You know as they say, measure twice cut once. Plug and re-rout, or get a partial pickguard or bezel like Yamaha does to cover the wrong routs. Did you not have a p-pup template?

Sure looks like you have the coils intersecting at the midpoint...that's not right. It may or may not work, depending on the "sensing window" and whether these are "rail" polepieces.

But yeah, the rout is too narrow as is. You know as they say, measure twice cut once. Plug and re-rout, or get a partial pickguard or bezel like Yamaha does to cover the wrong routs. Did you not have a p-pup template?

Click to expand...

No, I did not have any sort of template. My teacher didn't want to spend money on the templates when I could "make my own." I measured dozens of times, and it seemed fine at first. But now I'm not sure. I most likely won't be able to plug it, as my teacher won't want to cut it again, plus I won't have time to recut before school ends. So basically I'm screwed.

is there any way to tell? And if not, Will it at least make some type of decent sound that will make it usable for a little while? I plan on rerouting and replacing the pickup with a MM style pickup. As soon as I get my own money to do so.

If you can figure out where the strings cross the pickups, you could wire them up and tap them at those spots with a very small screwdriver or a pin. If the spots where the outside strings will cross are about as loud as the inside strings, you should be fine.
Keep in mind, though, that it won't be all that scientific. Tapping the poles doesn't really replicate the magnetic field of a vibrating string - it can only tell you if the magnet strength is similar in strength out at the ends of the pickup.

If the outsides sound weaker, you'll almost surely have a problem. In that case, a bigger route and a bezel (or "goof plate", as they are sometimes called) is probably your easiest fix.